GI Peters lost? Abandoned those mischievous spirits? (12)

I believe the answer is:

poltergeists

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'spirits?' is the definition.
(I know this)

'gi peters lost? abandoned' is the wordplay.
'abandoned' is an anagram indicator (the original order is abandoned).
'gi'+'peters'+'lost'='gipeterslost'
'gipeterslost' is an anagram of 'POLTERGEISTS'.

'those mischievous' acts as a link.
This may not be right. Some or all of it may belong to another bit of the clue.

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I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

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